The present disclosure relates generally to a method for grouping items in a grocery store and in particular, to a method for grouping like items together.
Grocery stores face increasing competition from a growing number of warehouse stores, club stores, discount stores, convenience stores and restaurants. Several major discount stores, warehouse stores and club stores now carry food items. In addition, more restaurants are offering take-out menus in response to an increased demand by consumers for ready to eat meals. One way for a grocery store to remain competitive is for it to offer similar products at comparable prices. In addition, a particular grocery store can attempt to differentiate itself from the other types of establishments that offer food in an effort to increase sales and create a loyal customer base. Grocery stores can focus on the atmosphere of the store and provide eye-catching graphics and signs, bakery smells, interesting containers and shelving, attractive surroundings, music and natural lighting. This can make the grocery shopping experience more pleasant and lead to increased sales. In addition, grocery stores can create a one-stop shopping environment and include banking services, pharmaceutical services and the ability to rent movies all within the grocery store. A grocery store can also focus on convenience and speed by providing take-out meals and fast check out lanes.
Store layout is another way that a grocery store can differentiate itself. The layout can be important to customer convenience and to the profitability of the store. Some store layouts force the customer through particular aisles in order to get to the cash registers. Still other layouts try to provide a way for shoppers looking for just a few items such as milk and bread to get through the store quickly. In many grocery stores the products are placed according to the type of container the product comes in, based on the type of refrigeration required by the product and/or under a category such as baking or ethnic foods. This can cause customer confusion in determining where to locate a particular item.